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World's Newest State is South Sudan; Former First Lady Betty Ford Dies at 93; Popular British Tabloid Prints Final Issue; Bear Attacks Increase at Yellowstone; Intense Heat Throughout U.S.; Organization Offers Scholarships to Whites; Shock and Disbelief After Anthony Verdict

Aired July 09, 2011 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Right now on CNN, the world's newest country is born.

That's a celebration ending decades of brutal civil war killing more than two million people. What's next for South Sudan?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Just days after a fatal bear attack here, another to close for comfort brush with a grizzly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A killer bear attack has one of America's most popular national parks on edge. We're going to take you there.

And this woman says, a TSA search of her hair is a case of racial profiling. I'll be talking about that allegation with her. I'm Don Lemon, the news starts right now.

We begin tonight with a developing story, a nation is born. After decades of civil war, the new country of Sudan is today a reality.

You can hear it here, a rose with a new flag was hoisted for the first time, it was a bittersweet moment after decades of brutal conflict that pitted the wealthier Muslim north against the poorer Christian South. South Sudan is about the size of Texas. United Nations ranked it as one of the poorest in the world. Many Sudanese fled the fighting over the years arriving in United States and other countries as refugees. So, today's independence was cheered by ex-pats around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP

(PEOPLE CHEERING) Happy birthday new Sudan. Happy birthday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: This was the scene today in Washington, South Sudan already has its own embassy and next week, the United Nations will discuss U.N. membership for the world's youngest country. Before today's storification, Sudan was the largest country in Africa, it is now effectively divided into two nations. South Sudan is still a very large area, roughly the size of Texas. It is made up mostly of Christians, while its northern neighbor is mostly Arab Muslims. Sudan was also racked by decades of civil war between the Muslim north and Christian south.

An estimated two million people died in the fighting. The man who will now lead south Sudan as its first president is a former rebel leader who fought against the north. The new country faces huge challenges. It ranks near the bottom of the United Nations poverty index, including the world's highest material mortality and the highest rates of female illiteracy. The decades of bitter fighting only ended in 2005 when a peace deal was finally achieved but some areas are still under contention and the borders have not yet been set.

I want to bring in now supermodel, her name is Alek Wek, you probably recognize her, she is from Sudan. Alec, thank you so much. Thank you so much for joining us, this must be a huge moment for you.

ALEK WEK, SUPERMODEL: Well, thank you so much for having me, absolutely. I'm so moved. I just -- there no words to express how much this independence of the south of Sudan means, not just for myself, but for the people.

LEMON: Yes, and the people of the country who are dealing with this and living there, there must be ecstasy in the country, people must be ecstatic about it. Have you spoken to anyone there and what are they saying?

WEK: Oh, absolutely. I mean, I was on the phone with my mother all yesterday evening and just the excitement in her voice, it was just long due for way too many, you know, men and women who for the war have died and people don't want anymore bloodshed and they never thought this day would ever come. So there's just so much energy in the air and it's so long due for, but I always say it's never too late and people definitely, they have spoken, and they turned in numbers and voted and yes, now finally it's southern Sudan and it's independent. And at least they can start to rebuild to get on that journey.

LEMON: We talked about Sudan who had been racked by decades of civil war between the Muslim north and the Christian south. Are you afraid of more conflict there?

WEK: I think that everyone is very positive at the moment just by looking at the reaction of the independence. They really don't -- like I said, again, they really don't, nobody wants anymore bloodshed, it's been way too much killing that's taken place in the past and every family has lost so many of their family members, just to get to this stage where they can have already what is their land. So, I believe that this really signifies that there's going to be unity because there's no way that everyone would have turned out for more than 90 percent to vote. So definitely everyone is looking at the bigger pictures and I think that every other humanitarian organization or people in general, this is the time to go in there and to help with the infrastructure and so forth. LEMON: As I said, as I was leading into you that it ranks near the bottom of the United Nations poverty index including the world's highest maternal mortality rate, I misspoke in some material, highest rates of female illiteracy. And it's only been five years really since the fighting ended. That is a very quick period. Five years to go from that to this. Explain the significance, are you shocked by how fast this has happened?

WEK: Well, if you think about how fast, yes, but it's not really that fast. I mean I ended up in England at the age of 14 because of when the civil war broke out, you know, in the '80s and it was not -- it was not the most pleasant time at that young age. But it didn't stop, it only got worse and worse. And that's so many years. So, this has really been long due for and I think you could feel it in the spirit of the people and this is just the beginning and the kids really want to learn, people really want to get on their feet, they don't want handouts, they just want the tools, so there's such great hope and the people are so poised and the history, so I think this is really long due for. I don't think that it happened rather fast, but I -- everyone is just happy that it happened and nothing interrupted it.

LEMON: All right. You seem to be very happy today and we're happy for you. Thank you. Supermodel Alek Wek. I appreciate it.

WEK: Thank you.

LEMON: Scandal takes up. One of the biggest tabloid newspapers in the world, just days after word came out at the paper interfered with the investigation of a missing little girl. We're live from London where the News of the World's staff members are talking today.

Also remembering, one of the most influential first ladies in our nation's history. Politicians, even celebrities are sharing their thoughts on the life of Betty Ford. If you want information on stories, if you have some information for us, you can reach out to us in social media. Twitter, Facebook, cnn.com/don and on Foursquare and find out how we do things in this business. Check out my new book, it's called "Transparent," available anywhere new books are sold.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY FORD, FORMER FIRST LADY: My addiction was a combination of alcohol and the prescription drugs that I was receiving.

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Which one came first?

FORD: They both were a part of my life but they did not become a problem until they overrode my common sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: One of the nation's most beloved first ladies has died. Betty Ford, wife of former President Gerald Ford became concurred her own addiction to become the nation's advocate for substance abuse treatment. She died yesterday at the age of 93. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty Ford had four children and all of them were at her side when she died yesterday afternoon. They released a statement today saying that, "Mother's love, candor, devotion, and laughter enriched our lives in the lives of millions she touched throughout this great nation. To be in her presence was to know the warmth of a truly great lady. Mother's passing leaves a deep void, but it also fills us with immeasurable appreciation for the life we and dad shared with her." The Fords were married for 58 years. Betty Ford's funeral details are pending but we understand that she will be buried in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the presidential library where her husband is buried.

LEMON: All right, Thelma, thank you very much for that.

Celebrities, among those remembering the former first lady today, former Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks says, she wouldn't be here if not for Betty Ford.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVIE NICKS, FORMER FLEETWOOD MAC SINGER: As far as I'm concern, Betty Ford just saved my life. I went to Betty Ford in the end of 1985 for cocaine addiction and I was one of the lucky ones. And those days, she actually would come to speak at Betty Ford two or three times a month and if you were lucky, you were there when she came to speak and I was. So I got to hear her tell her whole story on the pressures of being on politics, being married to a Senate politician and getting addicted to whatever it was that she was addicted to. And talking about being famous and being in rehab. You know, it's like, oh, I can't go to rehab because I'm too famous. That's like, come on, she's the first lady of the United States. So, that really made my need to actually fix myself even stronger because when you see somebody else's really done it and (INAUDIBLE) no matter what, it changes you. I don't think she even really realized the impact that she had on so many lives. She started her place, got people there and sometimes I think that both truly great people don't really even realize how truly great they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Political leaders also expressed their sorrow over Betty Ford's death. From President Obama, "Today, we take comfort in the knowledge that Betty and her husband, former President Gerald Ford are together once more. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to their children, Michael, John, Steven, and Susan." And this from the 41st president, George H.W. Bush. "Barbara and I loved Betty Ford very much, she was wonderful, a wonderful wife and mother, a great friend and a courageous first lady. No one confronted life's struggles with more fortitude or honesty and as a result, we all learned from the challenges she faced."

One of the world's most popular tabloids is printing its last issue today. Britain's News of the World is shutting down. It was undone over revelations that reporters had possibly hacked into the voicemail boxes of thousands of people. We're going to speak with our international correspondent Dan Rivers in just a moment. As a matter of fact, why don't we go to him now? The tabloid offices in London is where he's standing now where in bitter former employees have been leaving all day. Dan, what do you know?

DAN RIVERS, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been a very emotional evening here for the 260 or so employees who came down. Just within the last 15 minutes, a whole load of them were behind me here, cheering and three cheers for the editor, Colin Myler who held up the front page which said, thanks and goodbye. And it was, those words over a montage of whole of the front-pages down the years of the tabloid newspaper. And then the entire newsroom has now decamped to a local pub where they're all getting stock into a few beers because that's the end of the newspaper, 168 years of history and to many of them, that's the end of their job as well and they're now wondering what's next.

LEMON: Hey, Dan. You said 168 years, so it had more than seven million readers, that's a lot of readers, but no one saw this coming. How did they get to this point?

RIVERS: Well, this is a scandal that has been rumbling on for several years here in the U.K., allegations that this tabloid newspaper was engaged in illegal practices to try and secure scoops and those practices included hacking into people's cell phone messages, but almost worse than that also, bribing police officers for confidential information as well. Now, this all came to a real head last week when it was revealed that among the people that they hacked into their phones was a murdered 13-year-old school girl Milly Dowler and I think that one piece of news tipped the balance for the newspaper. There was such a public outcry and revolution here in the U.K. It triggered an emergency trial and debate in the British parliament here. And I think at that point, it was just untenable. They just realized that their paper had become so reviled by so many people in important positions here that it couldn't carry on. And that was the point at which James Murdoch and his father Rupert Murdoch took the decision to pull the plug.

LEMON: And as being of important people and important positions, this scandal has said close to home for Prime Minister David Cameron, hasn't it?

RIVERS: Ob, absolutely. I mean, this has been likened by one Britain's newspaper here to British's version of the Watergate scandal because one of the former editors of the News of the World Andy Coulson was hired by the current British Prime Minister David Cameron as a director of communications, despite warnings from many different courts it's now emerging that he shouldn't do that. There was evidence against Andy Coulson, it was all going to blow up in their face. The Prime Minister was warned but he ignored that and carried on hired this man.

Well, Andy Coulson was arrested yesterday and questioned for some nine hours, he's been freed on bail, but there are rumors that there will be other arrests now from previous employees of the paper. But for those that came out here tonight, Don, they were feeling that basically they were nothing to do with this, a lot of these people were hired years after the phone hacking had been going on. And they feel that they have been unfairly punished for the sins of people in the past and there were some tears, there were people coming out with, you know, real emotion, crying, some people quite angry, a lot of people, though, you know, really jubilant about what they felt was a sprit of camaraderie on the paper and especially tonight as they put out that last edition.

LEMON: Dan Rivers in London tonight, Dan, thank you very much.

There have been many complaints about TSA workers and body searches at airport. But when they wanted to search one woman's hair, she said that was too much. You're going to hear from her coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA ADIELE, AIRLINE PASSENGER: There were many other females around me who were not black who were not having their hair searched, who had curly -- I mean, I distinctly remember looking at a woman with her hair in a ponytail, very curly, big hair, thinking, why isn't she being accosted as well?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. A lot of folks travel. So, listen out. That was Laura Adiele, she was going through security at the Seattle Tacoma International Airport when she was pulled aside. Agents insisted on checking her hair which did not sit well with her. The TSA tells CNN they checked all passengers thoroughly including sometimes the hair. They also said they are willing to work with her directly to address her complaint.

Laura Adiele joins me now from Seattle. Thanks for joining us. How are you doing?

ADIELE: I'm well, how are you?

LEMON: All right. I'm great. Tell us what happened.

ADIELE: Thursday, June 30th, I went through security at Seattle airport and I was asked to go through the full body x-ray machine and when I stepped outside, the TSA agent informed me she was going to need to search my hair. And I said, no, we're not going to do that today.

LEMON: And what happened?

ADIELE: Get your supervisor and she got her supervisor and that's when she came down and said, ma'am, we have a policy, we need to investigate hair, poofy hair and I thought, this is totally out of control, because while all this is happening, there are, you know, TSA agents off to the side laughing. African-American TSA agents laughing and I'm looking around, no one else is having their hair searched and I thought that it was totally outrageous. And when I, you know, resisted and said you can wave a wand, you can do something else, but I'm not going to have you put your hands in my hair. She said, I'm going to call the police if you do not allow us to inspect your hair.

LEMON: OK. So, why do you -- you think it was unfair, right?

ADIELE: Yes.

LEMON: And so, why do you think you were singled out unfairly?

ADIELE: I feel like I was singled out unfairly because I was the only woman of color being searched in that line at that time. I can understand why people, you know, are uncomfortable with me bringing up a racial profiling in this case, but on that specific date, there were women who were not African-American walking through these security lines not having their house searched. And mine happens to be curly, it may be considered poofy and I think, you know, in terms of sensitivity to the specific traits that are frequently associated with African-Americans, you know, I feel like I was singled out. For that reason.

LEMON: So, OK, you understand that there is an issue with safety, right? And that people get -- we talk about old people getting searched, there was a woman in a wheelchair who got searched, someone's leg got searched and it wasn't a real leg and it got searched. Do you understand their concern just a little bit?

ADIELE: Oh, I do, yes, I absolutely do understand their concern. But I went through a full body x-ray, you saw everything.

LEMON: OK.

ADIELE: What else do you need to touch or feel? And I didn't refuse to go through that device. If I would have refused and gone through a metal detector, I would be openly, you know, subjecting myself to a pat-down if you will. But I went through that x-ray machine hoping that I was going to make it out without being touched and there you go, I had my hair messed around with.

LEMON: All right. So, I wasn't there so I don't know the whole situation. You said, there were people laughing. All right. So, listen. I just got this from the TSA and I want to read it to you and get your response. Here's what the TSA said, it said that it screens all passengers thoroughly which might sometimes mean their hair, it says. Additional screenings may be required for clothing, for head wear or hair where prohibiting items could be hidden. The agency said in a statement that provided to this network and to others. TSA has record of this passenger coming through the security checkpoint, we are happy to work with the passenger directly and address her complaints. So, have you reached out to them, will you work directly with them? What do you want? What kind of recourse?

ADIELE: I just want -- I wanted to be heard, I was so angry and embarrassed that day about the way I was treated in that line and I feel like I know, you know, people can relate to this and this is really all I wanted was to be heard. I just want them to know what it is like to be embarrassed like that and if your staff isn't going to be professional, if they're going to be laughing, if they're going to be using phrases like "poof," if they're going to be sending over, you know, an African-American TSA agent when it's all over to say, ma'am, I see you're upset, but this is policy, you know, and not working with me at all in that line and threatening me with the police, it just seemed so uncomfortable and I just wanted them to know that. That's really all my intentions were from the very beginning.

LEMON: Are you going to work with them?

ADIELE: Absolutely, yes. I will.

LEMON: OK. Laura Adiele. Let us know what happens. Thank you so much. Best of luck.

ADIELE: OK. Thank you.

LEMON: A grizzly bear kills a guest inside Yellowstone National Park, it's rare for that to happen. But wait until you see what happened when our cameraman went over there to cover the story.

Also, a lot of you will be making your way to the ballparks on the stadium this weekend, for America's pastime. And we want to remind you to be careful out there. Here's why.

A Rangers fan, reaching for a ball, tossed into the stands by a player, sadly lost his balance and fell 20 feet to his death. His 6- year-old son watched the whole thing. The player, Josh Hamilton is distraught. Tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, we're going to go in depth on this story and we're going to talk to a Dallas TV sports anchor who knows that stadium very well and find out exactly what's going on there. And in the meantime, last night at Rangers stadium, there was a moment of silence for Shannon Stone, he's a 39-year-old firefighter who died. Tonight, there will be another one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We ask that each of you join the Oakland athletics, the Texas Rangers and all of Major League Baseball as we observe a silent moment of reflection and respect for Brownwood, Texas firefighter Shannon Stone.

(SILENCE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Just days after a fatal mauling, another visitor at Yellowstone National Park faces off with a grizzly bear. On Wednesday, one hiker and his wife came across a mother bear and her cubs. Park officials say, the mother defending her brood killed Brian Matayoshi who was 57-years-old. His wife got away unharmed. Now, the second encounter with a different bear. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has the details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just days after, a fatal bear attack here, another too close for comfort brush with a grizzly.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: That's the hiker, no.

OPPMANN: As the bear approaches her, hiker Erin Prophet runs out of ground to retreat to. The bear doesn't charge her but isn't backing down either. Aaron gets ready to make a swim for it. But then kayakers paddling nearby drag her across the lake to safety before the bear also goes for a dip.

ERIN PROPHET, HIKER: When the guys in the kayak offered to pull me across, I thought that seemed like a better plan because the bear seemed like it wanted to be down there by the edge, so.

OPPMANN (on camera): I have to ask you, how afraid were you?

PROPHET: I was pretty afraid. I really was.

OPPMANN (voice-over): So, were her rescuers.

DAVE BEECHAM, PARK VISITOR: When the bear was getting closer to her and she dropped her pack. Apparently, she had an apple in the pack and we just thought it was a good idea to go and get her at that point.

OPPMANN: Kerry Gunther, the park's bear expert takes me back across the lake to retrieved Erin's backpack and look for the bear. He keeps a can of super power mace called bear spray, at the ready.

(on-camera) We recovered Erin's shoes and the backpack that she left behind when the bear is coming, approached her. We'll going to return to him right now. She'll probably be happy to get those back. And luckily we didn't see the bear.

(voice-over): Rangers say injuries from bear attacks at the rare, about one per year.

(on camera): If we were walking on a path like this one and we were approached by a bear, what would you do?

KERRY GUNTHER, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: If we encountered a bear, I would first try backing away. If it followed us, then I would stand my ground. If it continued towards us, I would pull out the bear spray, pull the safety tab off and fire.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Sometimes, it's not just the animals that get too close.

(on camera): As you can see, Yellowstone's animals often venture into public places. And that can attract crowds of tourists. The challenge for park ranger is keeping both humans and animals safe.

(voice-over): Because somehow, even in thousands of miles of open wilderness, it can get a little crowded. (END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was CNN's Patrick Oppmann.

Yellowstone Park officials say the last time a bear killed a person was 1986. They say they do not plan on putting down the bear involved in the fatal attacks this week.

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: A check of your top stories coming up next, including the murder of a singer once heralded by the United Nations for his efforts towards world peace.

Also, Casey Anthony, days away from freedom, really hours. Wait until you hear what she did from inside her jail cell.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: In the headlines tonight, Independence Day for the world's youngest nation.

(CHEERING)

LEMON: South Sudan, roughly the size of Texas, is now an independent country. It was carved out of the southern part of Sudan after a 2005 peace deal ended decades of bitter civil war. The United Nations will consider membership for south Sudan next week.

The new defense secretary says victory over al Qaeda is within reach. Leon Panetta touched down in Kabul, Afghanistan, today. He said the terrorist groups is on the run after the killing of its leader, Osama bin Laden. Panetta is in Afghanistan for talks with President Hamid Karzai before NATO turns over control of several areas to Afghan security forces.

Latin America has lost a powerful voice, a man the U.N. described as a world messenger for peace. Facundo Cabral was gunned down in the capital of Guatemala as he traveled to the airport. A spokesman for the 74-year-old Argentine was baffled over why anyone would want to murder him. The Guatemalan president's office vows that Cabral's killer will be brought to justice.

Reporters at Britain's "News of the World" have filed their last stories, and Sunday, the last issue of the tabloid "News of the World" hits newsstands. Owner Rupert Murdock ordered the paper shutdown. The tabloid became toxic when it was revealed that reporters may have hacked the voicemail boxes of thousands of people while chasing stories.

Casey Anthony will be free a week from tomorrow. But there are further signs her relationship with her mother may be fractured. A Florida correctional official says Casey refused to let her mother visit her in the Orange County Jail last night. Anthony, who was acquitted of murdering her little girl, was sentenced to four years for lying to police, but she was given credit for time served.

Astronauts aboard the space shuttle "Atlantis" busy checking for any signs of damage from Friday's historic launch. The "Atlantis" will dock with the international space station Sunday to deliver supplies. The mission marks the end of NASA's long-time shuttle program. A beautiful launch yesterday.

Intense heat is hitting several areas of the country right now. And our meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, is here with all the details for us -- Jacqui?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is brutal out there, Don. Let me tell you, a lot of the south central part of the country dealing with unbearable conditions.

Here's a live picture out of Little Rock, Arkansas, where the temperature is 95 degrees, but the temperature your body feels, 107. Heat advisories in effect as well as an air quality alert. This advisory will stretch into early next week. The heat is really going to build the next couple of days. So use a lot of caution if you can.

Let's show you the areas we're talking about, who else is being impacted. You can see, from southern parts of Nebraska all the way down into parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, feeling like 100 to 110 degrees. And that, like I said is going to build over the next few days. Look at the temperature your body is going to feel tomorrow, 110 in Little Rock, 106 in Memphis, 104 degrees in Jackson, Mississippi, and 106 in Shreveport.

We have also got some stormy weather to talk about today. A cold front moving across the upper Midwest could bring a chance of severe thunderstorms. And we have been seeing a little bit of that in parts of Colorado. We also have some popup thunderstorms into the Deep South. nothing severe here, but a lot of lightning and a lot of heavy downpours. So don't get caught off guard. If you're at the pool, if you're at the beach, make sure you give yourself a good 30 minutes until you hear that last bit of thunder. Atlanta had a ground stop earlier because of thunderstorms rumbling on through, but that's starting to clear up a little bit.

And the rest of your weekend forecast looks like this, Don. We've just got those thunderstorms all over the place. Again, that greatest threat really focusing in the upper Midwest. So heat, thunderstorms, a whole lot of it for a whole lot of people.

LEMON: One of them just rolled through here. I just saw one of our guests in the makeup room and she was soaking wet.

JERAS: Oh, really?

LEMON: She was blow drying her pants. I said, what, did you step in a puddle.

(LAUGHTER)

She said no, it's storming outside.

We're here in the air conditioner. We don't know.

JERAS: That's right.

LEMON: Thank you very much, Jacqui. Appreciate it.

Did you know there are scholarships for tall people, native Americans, even people who may be psychic, but there are very few for white people, and more specifically, white men. Now one group is trying to change that and one of their leaders is black. He joins me live right after the break.

But first, on the day after Christmas in 2004, a tsunami hit nine Asian countries, killing more than 225,000 people. Millions of lives were forever changed. But this week's "CNN Hero" turned her personal loss into renewed hope and healing for children and families in need.

(CNN HEROES)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCUS CARTER, VICE PRESIDENT, THE FORMER MAJORITY ASSOCIATION FOR EQUALITY: I would like to present to you with this certificate of award.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Some say this is a scene that turns civil rights on its head. The man in the glasses is receiving a whites-only scholarship. The African-American is the one giving it to him. Marcus Carter is the president (ph) of the Former Majority Association for Equality, a nonprofit group out with Texas that gives scholarships solely to white men. And the advocates say they need it. One writes, "The hard work I put into my academics is going unnoticed because of the opportunities I am not presented with. I believe this is possibly the most important scholarship to me. And I know exactly what my plans are for it. I will use it to help pay for a great college education to prove that white dudes can jump right to the top of their class."

Marcus Carter joins me, along with the president, Colby Bohannan.

So, Marcus --

CARTER: How are you doing?

LEMON: You had to know that this was going to cause controversy, a black man giving a whites-only scholarship to a white dude, as they say. The reaction from friends and family, the public about the fact that you're African-American and you're the leader of this group that gets whites-only scholarships, what do you say?

CARTER: The overall reaction has been positive, for family, you know, supporters of the organization. I want to put out there that I'm not the leader. Actually, Colby James Bohannan is the leader. I'm just the vice president for it.

But the overall feedback has been positive. Say about 80-20, with positive being the 80 and 20 being the negative.

LEMON: I'm sure you've been called names and I'm sure you have heard the Uncle Tom name and all that stuff, right?

CARTER: Absolutely.

LEMON: And that's probably being kind.

CARTER: Yes. It's kind of all the same when you're getting insulted. I only put one insult in a bag for different ones. It's all the same to me. It really gets -- I mean, when knowing -- our people or my people, or African-Americans in general, who know what it's like to be singled out and persecuted for 400 years or how ever many years it is, we know how detrimental it is, to go through something like that. And knowing this is happening to a different subset, you would think that we would get the idea how non-progressive this can be and how aggressive this can be.

LEMON: OK, Colby, I'm going to get to you in a second, but I just want to finish up with Marcus here.

Marcus, you know people are going to say, hey, listen, there are -- because of the history of this country, there are a lot of minorities, especially African-Americans, who need a break more than white guys. Why aren't you helping them?

CARTER: Actually, there are plenty of scholarships for African- Americans, Mexican, or Spanish -- I'm sorry. There's plenty of scholarships for Asian-Americans. It's really not just helping a certain group, but it's helping all of us at the same time, because we all need help.

LEMON: So, Colby, I understand that you asked Marcus to be part of the group because you all are friends, but you had to know that he would go through some of this flak. Did you specifically ask Marcus to join to show people that your group is not racist? Did you ask him to join simply because he is black?

COLBY BOHANNAN, PRESIDENT, FORMER MAJORITY ASSOCIATION FOR EQUALITY: My answer to that question, Don, is no. I did not ask Marcus to help me on this project for any other reason than I wanted this project to succeed. You can't make a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity with just three board members. When we started to conduct our board member search, I was looking for people that I knew who were trustworthy, loyal and hard workers. I've been on two tours -- I have been in Iraq on two tours, defending Iraqi Freedom, and I have been in combat right beside Marcus Carter. You tell me where you're going to find out more about trustworthy and loyalty.

LEMON: Listen, real quickly -- I mean it because I only have about 15 seconds. Explain the name. It's called the Former Majority Association. Is that sort of antagonistic, you don't you think?

BOHANNAN: People love to say we're trying to say more than just, hey, let's help out Caucasian families that are trying to send their sons to school. But fmafe.org has nothing to do with any kind of harking back to some past era where whites enjoyed more power.

LEMON: You've gotten lots of attention? Have you gotten lots of applications?

BOHANNAN: We're gotten a lot of attention. I mean, I'm on your show right now, Don. I'm getting attention right now.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

BOHANNAN: So, yes. We had about 180 applicants. Let me share this story real quick, Don.

LEMON: I don't have time. I don't have time. I take it you have gotten more applicants since this has happened.

So here's the bottom line. A lot of people aren't going to like this, whether or not they agree that Marcus should be helping or what have you. This is America, and as long as you're not speaking hate or violence, you can pretty much choose to give money to who you want, as long as you're not a government organization or it's not taxpayer money. So there's a controversy there.

BOHANNAN: Think about this, Don. Here's the real bottom line. We actually picked the finalist and we picked him as a winner. And whenever he found out he won our white-only male scholarship, they actually kind of got nervous and said they don't want anything to do with it anymore. This kid filled out the entire application. And in 2011, there's a Caucasian man out there who's is --

LEMON: Thank you. I don't know. We've got to run.

Thanks to both of you.

BOHANNAN: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: We appreciate you coming on CNN.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: It's been a week, but the talk continues to resound about the acquittal of Casey Anthony. The story far from over. And Anthony gets out of jail next week. That, and other legal headlines right after this break.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not guilty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not guilty. No! No!

(CROSSTALK)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, there's shock and disbelief outside of the courtroom and around the country after the jury in the Casey Anthony trial returned to their - returned their not guilty verdict.

I'll bring in Holly Hughes, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor.

Holly, everyone is comparing this to O.J. Simpson. I say, maybe, in interest. O.J. Simpson lasted for, like, a year. You had the jurors going on the bus and visiting, TV shows created around it. Lots of money.

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY & FORMER PROSECUTOR: Right.

LEMON: It was the same in surprise, but not in, I think, spectacle because of celebrity and all that. Do you think -- why were people so surprised? Do you think they really proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt?

HUGHES: I do. I stick by what I said.

LEMON: You do?

HUGHES: I think they proved it beyond a reasonable doubt. I think it was a first-degree murder case. Think about it this way. The outside public, Don, had so much more information than the jurors did.

LEMON: But they also had emotion. They had more emotion than the jury had. And I think a lot of people watched it so much, they became emotionally attached. Maybe the jury wasn't that emotional. Seeing little Caylee singing and all that.

HUGHES: Right. I think the jury didn't under two major concepts. They misunderstood reasonable doubt and they misunderstood circumstantial evidence and how great it is, and the fact that 90 percent of the cases we bring in American courtrooms are circumstantial evidence.

LEMON: I'm glad you said that. I'm saying it is going to go up to O.J. Simpson. The prosecutor in O.J. Simpson case wrote about the verdict, Marcia Clark. She said "In every case, a defense attorney will do his or her best to give the jury a reason to doubt. Some other dude did it or some other dude threatened him, but those reasons don't equate with a reasonable doubt." A reason does not equal reasonable, she says. So sometimes these things get lost.

Holly, do you agree with that?

HUGHES: 100 percent. Absolutely.

LEMON: All right. All right. That's it. It's done.

Let's go overseas and talk about "News of the World" in London. Hugely popular, say that they were tapping people's phones. Rupert Murdoch shut it don't. Does he have a lot of exposure here? HUGHES: Huge. This is --

LEMON: Monetary exposure?

HUGHES: Monetary and some of his editors are looking at possible criminal charges. A corporation can be charged with murder and manslaughter. It's happened in the United States and the United Kingdom.

When you think about what really happen, it's so shocking to the conscience, so offensive. They are alleged to have hacked into a missing girl, 13-year-old Millie Dowler's cell phone, voice box, while she was still missing. They were deleting messages to make room for more voice mails to come in. The police officers, and that little girl still missing, still thought she was still alive and checking her own messages. That killer went on to not only kill the little girl but killed two other women before he was caught. We are talking huge exposure. They knew about this. This is not the only case they are alleged to have done it in. But this is the one I think enrages the people most.

LEMON: In the few seconds we have left, when we talk about exposure, what about here in the United States? Does it make a difference? He owns the "FOX News" organization here, and then he owns "News of the World" there, and other -- his entire company?

HUGHES: Yes. Absolutely. This is a conglomerate. What they will do is go for the top of the food chain here, and who had responsibility and who had knowledge? There's still an editor working there that was involved in some of these scandals. Yes, it's widespread. It's pervasive. We'll see criminal and civil charges, no doubt about it.

LEMON: This will be a big deal and it's going to play out.

HUGHES: Huge.

LEMON: Another saga playing out.

Holly Hughes, great to see you.

HUGHES: Absolutely. Absolutely.

LEMON: We got talk about something else besides Casey Anthony.

HUGHES: Absolutely.

LEMON: We're going to go past that and talk about more.

Holly, thanks so much. Hope to see more of you here on CNN.

HUGHES: Sounds great. Thank you.

LEMON: We're back after a quick break. And take a look at what's coming up at 7:00 eastern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: What happened to my hair? Find out, coming up. I'm going back to the '80s.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Traumatic brain injury is called the significant injury of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. More than 200,000 American soldiers have been hurt this way, often by explosions. In today's "Human Factor," Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to Kip Park, a scientist working on a new approach to the injury. His perspective is personal.

(HUMAN FACTOR)

LEMON: Thank you, Dr. Gupta.

And thanks for watching. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. See you back here one hour from now.

"THE SITUATION ROOM," with Candy Crowley, in for Wolf Blitzer, begins in just moments.